BATON ROUGE, La. Baton Rouge police say a woman shot some people and then shot herself Friday morning at the Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge.
Few details were available. Corporal L'Jean McKneely said he did not know how many people were shot or whether there were any deaths.
Ten days after losing a federal lawsuit against this St. Louis suburb he insisted harassed him, a gunman stormed a council meeting and opened fire, killing two police officers and three city officials. The gunman, identified as Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton, critically injured the city's mayor and wounded a reporter Thursday night before law enforcers fatally shot him.
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Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2008 07:32 ||
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#1
There is some interesting background story, here. Apparently he was a kook, but one who had been poked and prodded not unlike that San Diego Zoo tiger.
He had been issued over 150 tickets, for unspecified reasons. The city council had just the meeting before considered prohibiting him from speaking at public meetings.
It will be interesting to see what details emerge.
Or if there are copycats among the innumerable other local kooks out there.
#2
I'm actually surprised that something like this doesn't happen more often, particularly where eminent domain seizures are involved. I'd have figured the New London city authorities who pressed the Kelo case were prime targets. If they didn't have police at every related public meeting when that was going on, they would have been taking a very high risk.
It's not right to resort to violence, of course, but given that power is a dangerous drug and often leads to abuse, it's easy to see conflicts arising from abusive situations that make citizens extremely angry. Some of them will be angry--and crazy--enough to commit suicide-by-cop just for the chance to get some revenge on those they see as their tormentors. It's the Tim McVeigh syndrome writ small.
#4
We had something like that in Cincinnati, not long ago. But instead of shooting up the council chamber, the kook went outside and shot someone sitting in a car nearby.
#6
I've read a number of stories about this case, and the details are extremely sketchy. Not even a picture yet of Mr. Thornton, though a teevee interview of his brother would indicate he was African-American. The brother also seemed a bit unhinged.
It seems the shooter had been a bit of a gadfly at the council meetings, taking over the mike and ranting in the 'citizens address' periods.
But there is no actual detail about WHY he was ranting.
Thornton was often a contentious presence at the council's meetings; he had twice been convicted of disorderly conduct for disrupting meetings in May 2006.
The city had ticketed Thornton's demolition and asphalt business, Cookco Construction, for parking his commercial vehicles in the neighborhood, said Ron Hodges, a friend who lives in the community. The tickets were "eating at him," Hodges said.
"He felt that as a black contractor he was being singled out," said Hodges, who is black. "I guess he thought mentally he had no more recourse. That's not an excuse."
The city had ticketed Thornton's demolition and asphalt business, Cookco Construction, for parking his commercial vehicles in the neighborhood.... The tickets were "eating at him," Hodges said. ... "I guess he thought mentally he had no more recourse."
He ever think about maybe NOT 'parking his commercial vehicles in the neighborhood' (which is usually illegal anyway)?
Or did he think that somehow the law shouldn't didn't apply to him? Loon.
And how come nobody noticed him before he got inside?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/08/2008 15:41 Comments ||
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#11
They didn't notice him on the way in 'cos he shot the cop that was outside.
#12
We live in the next town over, Thornton had a case thrown out of the Federal Court of Appeals stating something to the affect that his civil rights were not being violated by the city of Kirkwood, he snapped and shot each victim in the head (including two Kirkwood officers, one of which was walking across the street to get something to eat.) He used the officers weapon in addition to the one he had (according to reports today.) The city's attorney probably saved several lives by throwing chairs at Thornton, slowing him down enough for other officers to end his attempt at taking more lives. I have a good friend who was an officer from one of the nearby jurisdictions that responded. He grew up in Kirkwood, we have connections to the Director of Public Works. The worst part of the coverage last night was the response of Thornton's brother and mother. They showed zero remorse of what Thornton had done and they said he was going to war. A local correspondent talked the mother and when she responded with the comment, his body language changed, he is normally unflappible. He looked at her and asked her "did you watch the news tonight?" She said yes and he asked, visibly angry. "don't you know what your son did?" She showed zero remorse for the loss of her son or for what he did. It was one of the most disturbing aspects of a very sad, tragic night for us in STL. Each victim was shot in the head, the mayor was shot twice. I am sorry if I am saying too much, thanks to Fred and all of you.
#13
Thank you for the background, djh_usmc. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those murdered. As for the family, we can only hope they are in shock at what Mr. Thornton has actually done.
Swedish police are probing a malodorous fermented flying fish incident in which an open can of local delicacy surströmming was launched through the bedroom window of a 52-year-old Motala man.
Sweden's The Local describes the result as "breakfast in bed with a cruel and unusual twist", and according to our correspondent Mike Richards that pretty well sums it up, since he categorises the smell of surströmming as akin to "composted gorgonzola in a Viking's jockstrap".
The cops are treating the piscine projectile launch as "property damage", and reckon they have a pretty good idea who was responsible.
For the record, surströmming comprises fermented Baltic herring which are brewed "in-the-can", allowing bacteria to work their magic and produce the distinctive odour.
The tins are apparently banned by some airlines, since they may pose an explosive risk. Mercifully, al-Qaeda is unlikely to avail itself of this property to down aircraft because, according to Mike, you have to be "clinically Swedish" to even look at a can of the stuff without fainting.
#2
An offering to the porcelain God(dess), Arguing with the worms, Barf, Barffalo Bill, Barking at the ants, Belch the Bile By-product, Bile Geyser, Blow a hole in the bowl, Blow Chunks, Blowing Groceries, Calling Earl, Calling Huey on the big white telephone, The Call of the Walrus, Calling the Buffalos, Chorkle, Chow shower, Chuck a Veggie, Chumming, Chunder, Chunk, eruption, Cleaning the Green Pipes, Colon Back Up, Delivering Street Pizza, Disembarking dinner, Downloading dinner, Driving the Porcelain Bus, Esophogeal Eruption,
You gotta winner, definitely worth the read IF you haven't had Breakfast YET, because Ima like Steve, Stinky Food, like cooking Liver ain't Food Fit for Man to Smell, let alone EAT!!
#7
Species of Haloanaerobium bacteria are responsible for the in-can ripening. These bacteria produce carbon dioxide and a number of compounds that account for the unique odor: pungent propionic acid, rotten-egg hydrogen sulfide, rancid-butter butyric acid, and vinegary acetic acid.[2]
#8
I asked our resident Swede here at the orifice about this delicacy.
His reply,
"YES,there are people that eat this. I don't. Especially it is considered a delicacy in the northern part of Sweden. It for sure smell awful when the can is opened. You have to get used to the smell before you can taste. The people that eat this need a lot of liquid to drink, usually ABSOLUT."
A 21-year-old German man has been convicted of sending a photograph of his schlang penïs to an unknown woman via mobile phone, authorities said on Wednesday. "We all had a bit of a laugh when we saw the thing," said Christian Kropp, presiding judge at the court in the eastern town of Sondershausen.
"Was der Helle ist los?"
"Hmmm... Looks like einen doinker."
The woman reported the sender to police after receiving the photo attachment of the man's genitals, the court said. Officers found evidence he may have sent similar images to other women. The man did not explain his motive but expressed remorse for the photo, Kropp said. He was fined 150 euros ($220) for distributing pørnographic material.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/08/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Could have been worse. His mother could have been on speed dial.
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2008 6:54 Comments ||
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"We all had a bit of a laugh when we saw the thing," said Christian Kropp, presiding judge at the court in the eastern town of Sondershausen.
Looks like you've been punished enough, Mr. Tiny Schwanz. You're free to go...
Rumors abound of an electronic Bermuda Triangle surrounding the Empire State Building. According to that bastion of reportorial excellence, The New York Daily News, "something" keeps certain vehicles' engines from re-starting. Wild-ass theories range from electronic emissions from the huge antennas atop the skyscrapers, to the increasing profusion of cell phone jammers, to juju from anti-terrorist devices protecting the building from attack. My favorite from one blog commenter: Megaliths [such as a skyscraper] are electrical coils. Imagine a coil so powerful it can suck the magnetic force out of a cars power system. (Youre right: Manhattanites dont know how a car works.) The hysterics point out that 10 to 15 cars a day die near the Empire State Building. Considering the fact that 10 to 15 cars a day probably die near the Fulton Fish Market, once again, Occam's razor slices a crazy ass conspiracy theory to pieces.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/08/2008 15:50 ||
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For the last seven years, James Westin's ice castles have melted before he could finish them.
That has not a problem this year.
Helped by a cold and snowy December, the Edina resident finished a three-level, 22-feet tall ice castle in his backyard recently. It will be lit and open to the public 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7 to 9, at 4501 Garrison Lane.
Westin started construction on the castle Dec. 5 and has spent about 200 hours working on it. Volunteers from the University of Minnesota chapter of Habitat for Humanity have also put in 300 to 400 hours.
The castle is made of a combination of snow and ice. Westin uses trashcans, buckets and sleds to make ice blocks and a snow/ice mixture to make sturdy columns and arches. He quickly used up all of the snow in his yard, so he looked to the snow on Lake Nancy. "I've got a lake in my backyard. We cleared off half of the lake," Westin said.
#1
Well! Glob ... uh ... climate change can result in big swings in temperatures, so this fits the convenient, ever-changing model of socialist control in the name of the environment.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/08/2008 8:53 Comments ||
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#2
Well at least they got Jimmah "The Iceman" Carter to help.
#3
Vast number of Iraqis have already returned. The only ones staying away now are those, and their families, who did really bad stuff back home and know that pay back is awaiting them. Angelina, it's like going to Argentina after the Big One to help Germans return to the Reich fatherland.
#5
The irony lies with the words of the the article. Starts with AJ meeting and speaking with TOP officials, followed by her decrying how there seems to be alot of talking about the problem and nothing being done. Sounds exactly like what she's doing, doesn't it?
Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 ||
02/08/2008 10:25 Comments ||
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#6
What percentage of her personal fortune has she dedicated to solving the problem? 50%? 10? 1? None. Until she impoverishes herself to actually do something, I agree with bigjim - STFU.
#7
Why is it that fame and celebrity makes these folks instant experts on everything? Seems like she and her dad, Jon Voight, don't see eye-to-eye on things. Her father comes across as somewhat conservative. Age will do that to you.
Medical specialists say the Marshall Islands have the most cases of leprosy, in the world. And the city with the largest number of Marshallese people, outside the Marshall islands, is Springdale. And Bingham says, it makes sense, then, that leprosy is spreading to the city. "It's from the Marshall islands; that's why we're seeing it."
Bingham says she is all for Marshallese people entering the United States, after proper medical tests. But whether they're immigrants or not, she says people must stick to treatment, when infected. And she says, when she treats those from the Marshall Islands, this doesn't happen. "We're not getting the compliance that is absolutely essential to take care of this process."
Bingham says without cooperation, leprosy, which has no vaccine, and is transmitted through the air, will spread, and could easily become an epidemic. "People absolutely should be concerned. What I'm afraid of, is when people start thinking about it enough, it will already be out of control."
#8
Also, Springdale is between Fayetteville, home of the Razorbacks and Bentonville, home of WalMart..... with a former board member named Hillary Clinton!
#9
"But whether they're immigrants or not, she says people must stick to treatment, when infected. And she says, when she treats those from the Marshall Islands, this doesn't happen.
If they're not actually born here, ship any and all back to the Marshalls as soon as they're diagnosed.
If they are born here, quarantine them until they're completely cured.
What the hell is wrong with the Health Dept. there?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/08/2008 15:46 Comments ||
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#10
Huck's the guy that opened up Arkansas, rented the Mexicans a consulate for $1, put up instate tuition for illegal,s and generally refused to enforceimmigration law.
#11
I know of one case in Louisiana about 20 years ago where a teenager who wrestled armadillos contracted leprosy. I can't give any facts other than it was in Reader's Digest as I have been drunk a few times since then and don't remember. I do remember he didn't eat armadillos, just wrestled them.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/08/2008 18:43 Comments ||
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#12
Why on earth would someone wrestle an armadillo?
#13
Deacon - apparently we once had leprosy in the mainland US, at least in Louisiana. (We had it in Hawaii, too, though I think the colony is closed now.)
I remember reading a book in my teens (late 1950's/early '60's) by a woman who was an inmate/patient at a (for lack of a better term) leper colony in southern Louisiana. I don't remember whether she said anything about how she contracted it, but it wasn't overseas - she definitely got it in the US.
Since the kid got if from armadillos in Louisiana, I wonder if it's indemic in nature there somehow? Doubt the armadillo came from Ark. Or maybe they have immigrants from the Marshall Islands there?
Dr. Steve - you around? Can you clue us in?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/08/2008 19:21 Comments ||
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#14
IIRC an armadillo was once elected Governor of Arkansas on a populist platform. Coincidence? I think not
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/08/2008 20:55 Comments ||
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#15
The leprosarium in Louisiana was at Carville, LA. James Carville grew up there, and the town was named for his grandfather, its postmaster.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
02/08/2008 23:39 Comments ||
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Some Islamic schools have begun teaching students that safeguarding the environment is "the most profound act of worship", an expert on Islam, Saleem H. Ali, told Adnkronos International (AKI). Ali said Islamic fatalism, which has often led many Muslims to see environmental issues as trivial, is no longer pervasive among Indonesian Muslims, and some Indonesian Islamic schools have started teaching their students about the importance of preserving nature as a way of worshipping God.
The schools are realising that the most profound act of worship is to conserve natural resources on which all life depends, he said. Just as suicide is forbidden in Islam because of a deep respect for the sanctity of life, so too is the deliberate desecration of the life support systems that make our planet so unique, Ali added. He is associate dean for graduate education at the University of Vermonts Rubenstein School of Environment.
Indonesias pesantren, or Islamic boarding schools, have come under intense scrutiny in recent years, following the Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005 where former petansten students blew themselves up in the name of Jihad, or holy war.
Ali stated it is wrong to equate pesantren with breeding grounds for terrorism. Most of Indonesias religious schools are in the process of changing their curriculum and care for the environment is one of the new subjects, he said.
He specifically mentioned the small Lingkungan Giri Imu pesantren, in the village of Bantul, Central Java. The school is graduating environmentalists whose commitment to the earth is not based on Western conservation texts, but rather is predicated on values derived from Islam, he said. The head of the school frequently uses the refrain one earth, for all, just as much as he does the usual Islamic invocation of Allah-u Akbar, or God is great, he added.
Indonesia, one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity on earth, has heeded the call by some ecologists for theologians to unite on environmental causes, Ali said.
BERKELEY, Calif. -- As six Republican senators devised a plan to yank $2.3 million in federal funding for Berkeley programs, the mayor of the famously liberal city apologized Wednesday for his hard stance against a Marine recruiting center.
Two City Council members vowed to soften their stance as well. At their Tuesday council meeting, leaders will discuss scrapping a letter that might be perceived as targeting the center or the Marines. The letter said that the recruiting center was not welcome on Shattuck Avenue and that the Marines were uninvited and unwelcome intruders.
"That letter will probably be pulled back and maybe more moderate language will be put in place which is appropriate I think," said Berkeley mayor Tom Bates. "Subtly stated in the resolution is perhaps an impugning of the soldiers fighting for us in Iraq and other places," Berkeley City Councilman Laurie Capitelli. "And that was never the intention but that really needs to be cleared up. As I walked to my car that night I realized I regretted it and I had made a mistake."
Subtly stated? Didn't seem to be subtle to me. If I get it, lady, it ain't subtle.
Bates said the city didn't mean to offend anyone in the armed forces and the focus should have been on the war not the troops. "There's really no correlation between federal funds for schools, water ferries and police communications systems and the council's actions, for God's sake," said Bates, a retired U.S. Army captain. "We apologize for any offense to any families of anyone who may serve in Iraq. We want them to come home and be safe at home."
That's not an apology.
An apology is, "we apologize for our actions for we were wrong, and we ask you to forgive us."
The letter was originally approved in January and has not been sent.
City officials said they got a flood of e-mails, many asking them to reconsider their position. Councilmembers have said they would replace the "intruder item" with words expressing their support for the troops but not the war in Iraq.
That can't be done. If you don't support what our troops are doing, you don't support the troops.
The Republican plan would give the funds, intended for a school lunch program, UC Berkeley and ferry service, to the Marines instead. "Patriotic American taxpayers won't sit quietly while Berkeley insults our brave Marines," said one of the senators.
The recruiting center opened about a year ago and quickly became a target of anti-war protesters including the group Code Pink. Last week the council passed resolutions giving Code Pink a place to park out front. Some have said that meant the city giving was giving the group a place to continuously protest the Marines.
"What we're doing is we're announcing a bill that we intend to get on the floor to strip transportation from the city of Berkeley," said East Bay Republican Assemblyman Guy Houston. "What they have done in Berkeley is they have set aside a parking spot and in my opinion a public right of way, a public transportation corridor, specifically for a private organization -- in this case Code Pink -- to harass and annoy the United States Marine Corps and their recruiting efforts. We think that playing around and having an agenda with the public right of way is subject to ramifications. There is $2.3 million in proposition 1B transportation dollars. We think that should be in jeopardy."
Others on the Berkeley City Council seemed quite firm on their stance, NBC11's Christie Smith reported.
Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Barbara Lee said they plan to fight the Republican bill.
Figures, this is their base of support.
Code Pink announced they would have what they called a "24-hour peace-in" leading up to Tuesday's city council meeting. They will be camping out but will have a lot of company. A group of pro-troop protesters will also be there.
"I was under the impression that we have the right of free speech," said Xanne Joi of Code Pink. "To me, I thought free speech meant you get to say what you want without recrimination."
You're wrong, 'Xanne'. You have the right to speak. I have the right to recriminate.
Berkeley City Councilman Gordon Wozniak extended an olive branch to the Marines. He went to breakfast with a recruiter Thursday morning. "Berkeley is supposed to celebrate diversity and free speech and we welcome homeless people here. We welcome illegal immigrants. We give them sanctuary. We should welcome the Marines. I mean they're basically dedicating their lives to protect their country." Wozniak said he does not support the harsh language of the letter to the Marines originally authorized by the city.
Ann Cooper with the Berkeley Unified School District wants both sides to play nice. "Senators sitting 3,000 miles away are trying to take food away from the children of Berkeley," said Cooper. "Why? Because the Marines and the city aren't playing nice -- and that's just not OK."
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/08/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Yank their funding anyway. Apparently they don't support what is needed to defend the bennies they want, therefore they get none.
You don't stand behind our troops, you sure as hell can stand in front of them.
#2
Free speech means that the government can't throw you in jail for disagreeing with it.
We shouldn't be giving federal money to any city for hoity-toity school lunch programs,especially Berkeley.
#8
I like the in-line comment "If I get it, lady, it ain't subtle." Prety well describes my intersection with the rest of humanity. My two cents on the subject is beat these asses unmercifully and continuously for as long as necessary until they issue a REAL apology and stop acting as if they speak for everyone. And yes, leave the rest of California alone, but whack the hell out of Boxer and Pelosi over this until they too publicly denounce the fools in the Berley City Council. Practically speaking, this can be used for years, decades, maybe even longer (they are too stupid and self righteous to see that they are in error) or at least until we tire of it.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
02/08/2008 6:09 Comments ||
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#9
2 million is chicken feed. The real damage will be done by the DOD programming R&D dollars away from UC Berkeley. The bright professors and grad students will follow the money. Does the DOD have the cojones?
Posted by: ed ||
02/08/2008 6:25 Comments ||
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#10
ed, DoD won't even enforce the Solomon Amendment even though SCOTUS said the government had full rights to.
#13
"Senators sitting 3,000 miles away are trying to take food away from the children of Berkeley," said Cooper. "Why? Because the Marines and the city aren't playing nice -- and that's just not OK."
One earmark provides gourmet organic lunches to schools in the Berkeley School District. While our Marines are making due with MREs of Sloppy Joe and Chili with Beans, the organization Chez Panisse is getting federal tax dollars to design meals that promote "environmental harmony." Chez Panisse's menu features "Comté cheese soufflé with mâche salad," "Meyer lemon éclairs with huckleberry coulis" and "Chicory salad with creamy anchovy vinaigrette and olive toast."
That's my Fed tax dollar buying the "poor children" a much better lunch than I get.
#16
Thanks Senators. It's working. But we wouldn't want any 'poor' chiddrens in Beserkley going hungry. So instead of subsidizing a gourmet restaurant, provide rations in kind to the spoiled brats -- MREs.
#17
Bates said the city didn't mean to offend anyone in the armed forces
No, no, of course not. We love "intruders". We usually give them taxpayer funded health care, housing, education and drivers licenses... in Spanish!
"There's really no correlation between federal funds for schools, water ferries and police communications systems and the council's actions, for God's sake,"
Except that the federal government has chosen to entrust the spending of its money to the council.
"Berkeley is supposed to celebrate diversity and free speech and we welcome homeless people here. We welcome illegal immigrants. We give them sanctuary. We should welcome the Marines. I mean they're basically dedicating their lives to protect their country."
Wow. Yeah. I hadn't thought of it that way. They are basically dedicating their lives to protect their country. Just like homeless people and illegal immigrants.
#18
"I was under the impression that we have the right of free speech," said Xanne Joi of Code Pink. "To me, I thought free speech meant you get to say what you want without recrimination."
Translation:
"Consequences? Nobody told us there'd be consequences!"
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/08/2008 14:30 Comments ||
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#21
As I understand it, some transportation people, couldn't tell if it was state or federal, wants to withhold funding for Berkeley's higways in the town. That is because the free parking space allotted to Code Pink was a state or federal location and they were miffed that the city decided to determine who could park on that spot over and above all other state or federal tax payers. A story I had only about 15 seconds to read yesterday. Wish I had more time to read it to find out what level those people were on in the government.
#23
The Berkeley Police allowed the burned-out brained hippies to chain themselves to private property for hours. That denied the private citizens, as well as the Marine recruiters inside to exercise their freedoms and civil rights.
I hope that the six senator bring this up and stay with it in the Senate to bring up the actions of the City of Berkeley. They may not win, but they will exposed these hypocrite Lefties for what they are and that they are Fascists.
I went through 4 years of this crap at UC Berkeley with the SDS types, and I still feel the bile in my throat from the actions of these people.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/08/2008 23:30 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Rumors abound of an electronic Bermuda Triangle surrounding the Empire State Building. According to that bastion of reportorial excellence, 
Some Islamic schools have begun teaching students that safeguarding the environment is "the most profound act of worship", an expert on Islam, Saleem H. Ali, told Adnkronos International (AKI). Ali said Islamic fatalism, which has often led many Muslims to see environmental issues as trivial, is no longer pervasive among Indonesian Muslims, and some Indonesian Islamic schools have started teaching their students about the importance of preserving nature as a way of worshipping God.
BERKELEY, Calif. -- As six Republican senators devised a plan to yank $2.3 million in federal funding for Berkeley programs, the mayor of the famously liberal city apologized Wednesday for his hard stance against a Marine recruiting center. 
